The Other Riders
by Lynette Hamilton
Summary: After Fang leaves Max and the gang, he stumbles upon Lauren. Lauren has just escaped the school for the second time in her life, leaving behind her flock. Can Lauren and Fang work together to save her flock? Or will Personal problems get in the way? R&R!
1. Chapter 1: The Encounter

Lauren's Cheeks stung from the freezing cold air, the snow starting to fall wasn't helping much either. It was the middle of winter and her clothes were ripped, her shoes were God knows where, and her flock…

Her eyes watered, why can't she have saved them, why couldn't she be as strong as the legendary Maximum Ride. Instead, she cowered away as her friends lives were being were being snatched away one by one. Lauren could barely feel her wings, or any of her limbs for that matter. She had to land. Falling from almost 100 feet was not the way she wanted to go. If she didn't get out of this freezing weather, soon she would die. Not that she cared anymore, what would she go back to? Laurens legs finally failed her; she stumbled to a tree and leaned against. The pain was more than she could handle both the physical and mental. She felt herself starting to lose consciousness.

"So this is the end", she thought "Better than being torn apart by some monster the guys at Itex could conjure up." Lauren tried to remember the times with her flock, when everything was simpler. A tear rolled down her cheek, as she saw a faint memory of her family. They were so happy and carefree. She closed her eyes, and let out one last breath before she could feel nothing but the cold, and the feeling of utter loneliness.

Lauren's eyes shot open, and she sat straight up. She winced as she felt an instant pain shoot through her entire body. She was in a small shack it was bare except for a bed, a stove, and refrigerator.

"Oh, you're finally awake", said boy walking inside, shaking snow off his jacket. He looked around fifteen years old with dark hair, and a look on his face that Lauren couldn't figure out.

"What's your name?" Lauren asked "And where am I?"

"It's okay you don't have to panic, you're fine. You are completely safe with me, I promise." He turned around to light the stove, revealing his dark wings.

"You have… wings." She said very softly. "They're beautiful"

Then it just hit her like a train on the tracks. She started to panic, what if it was a trap? What if this was some sort of illusion? What If –

"Fang" He said without turning toward her

"Excuse me?"

He walked towards to her with a syringe in his hand.

"You asked my name, it's Fang"


	2. Chapter 2: Snakes Bite Literally

"Get away from me!" Lauren screamed. She tried to move her legs, but all she could do was let out a cry from the instant excruciating pain. She started to breathe frantically.

"Please... don't… hurt… me" she pleaded, sobbing between each word.

All the memories from the school flooded her mind the testing, the shots, the pain, watching her family hurt and not being able to do a single thing about it. She just wanted every thought to go away; she just wanted to fly until all her problems dissolved in the wind.

Fang sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms.

"I told you, you're safe with me." He said in a soft, soothing voice "I'm not going to hurt you"

She winced as he pierced her bicep with the syringe.

"This is going to help you; you were bit by a coral snake which can paralyze you if not treated"

He rubbed her arm with alcohol, then stopped and looked her in her eyes. When Lauren realized she was still in his arms, she blushed and quickly pulled away from him.

"What's your name?" Fang asked standing up.

"Lauren, Lauren Brotz"

"Well Lauren Brotz, what were you doing out there all alone? You could've died"

"That's what I was counting on" she whispered to herself. Fang looked at her with concern.

"Well the snow's seemed to stop; I have to run some errands"

He threw some clothes at her.

"Change up and when I get back we can get some grub"

He put on a black jacket and walked out the door, leaving Lauren alone with nothing but her thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3: Through the Looking Glass

Lauren looked at herself in a dirty mirror. Her dark red hair was a mess, her dark blue eyes looked tired, and her lips her unbelievably dry. Then she turned and admired her wings, her first set of feathers were beige, and her secondary feathers were a light strawberry. She had two Red bows on the corners of each of her wings. She started to smile as the memory flooded back to her.

"I can't believe you _hot glued_ bows to her wings!" a girl about 19 years old scowled

"I thought it would make her pretty, I mean come on admit it! She is not attractive at all" said a blonde headed boy around 10 years old. He turned around towards Lauren, and smiled as if he had just done her the biggest favor of her life.

"That's it!" yelled Lauren. "I'm going to _kill_ you Toby!"

Lauren jumped from the coach onto the boy, punching him profusely in the face. Toby stopped one of the punches, and then kangaroo kicked her off of him. They started pulling each other's hair

"STOP RIGHT THIS INSTANT" the oldest girl yelled.

They both stopped and looked and her

"Hug, now!" she said with a smirk. The girl knew that it was the worst punishment she could inflict upon them.

"What?" Lauren screeched "I'm not hugging the spawn of Satan!"

"Do it or else _I'll_ make you hug" she said cracking her knuckles

Lauren and Toby gulped loudly, and then inched towards each other. They slowly put their arms around each other, while she heard giggling behind her.

Laurens flashback was interrupted by the sound of Fang landing outside the door. She quickly wiped away the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"Please God, if you really are out there, let them be alive, let them be… safe" she whispered.


	4. Chapter 4: So Faint

Toby's eyes flickered half way open.

"Well he's certainly no Angel" said a woman in a white lab coat, writing down notes.

"Hah! How could you even compare the two?"Chuckled an older man that looked like he had eaten one too many doughnuts.

"He couldn't even two hours on the tread mill, Angel would be a much better specimen" Snorted the woman. Then woman and the man walked out of the room.

Toby Tried to read the strangers minds but he felt so weak he just wanted to sleep…

Toby's eyes closed once again, drifting into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5: I'm NOT loving it

Lauren was sitting across from Fang in a booth at McDonalds. They had ordered a very large amount of food, and people were staring at them shamelessly.

"Don't pay them any attention" said Fang "They're just curious"

Fang took a chomp out of his Big Mac, and then looked at her while she was staring out a window. She was beautiful. Her long red hair and Icy blue eyes was enough to make Fang's heart beat a little faster.

"Stop staring at me" she said without turning her head.

"I'm just admiring, I've never seen anyone like you before"

She didn't reply. Fang wandered if she was always this cold to people, or was she just hurt?

"So do you have a flock?" Fang asked causally.

"That's none of your concern" she snapped.

"Whoa, why are you acting like a total witch?"

"I just had everything I ever loved taken away from me" her voice started to rise "Is that better for you? Huh? Am talking enough now"

Hot tears ran down her face. Dammit, why couldn't she stop crying? Why couldn't she be strong Like Maximum? She clinched her fist, and stared back out the window.

"I'm sorry, if it helps, I had to leave my family" Fang said. She didn't look at him.

"I have a friend, she's was the strongest person I've ever met in my life" He gently turned her face toward him. "And you know what I learned? Even the strongest people have to show that they're scared sometime" Their eyes locked.

"Watch out!" Lauren yelled.

She shoved Fang under the down. A van crashed through the window behind them, stopping in the middle of the restaurant. A raven haired woman stepped out the driver's side of the vehicle.

"Lauren darling, come out come out where ever you are" She had a very strong Russian accent.

"So you want play de games? I can play de games too"

"De games?" Fang said "What a loser"

Lauren Giggled, she hadn't smiled in such a long time, she didn't feel right. She felt like she was living a glamorous life while her family was hurting.

The woman sniffed the air.

"Ahhh, the smell of mutants. Hmmm" She took something out of her pocket "Maybe this would be of interest to you, no?"

Laurens eyes widen, suddenly she was filled with anger. She ran from under the table, and stared the woman in her eyes.

"Give that to me now!"

"What? This silly old thing?" the woman chuckled holding the locket between her fingers.

"That does not belong to you! Give it to me now!"

"Well it doesn't belong to you either, now does it?" she walked towards Lauren "What was the poor girls name dis belonged to? Molly? Moe? Muffin?" she laughed an ear piercing laugh.

"Morgan" Lauren said softly "Her name was Morgan!"

Lauren ran and did a perfect roundhouse kick to the woman's chest, knocking off her feet. She kicked her in her ribs breaking at least three. She grabbed the necklace from her hands then ran towards the door. Once she felt the cool air against her face, she started to slow down. Fang grabbed her and cupped his hand over her mouth. He put his index finger over his lips, and then he pointed toward a group of men running towards the broken window.

"Do you think you have enough strength to fly?" Fang whispered in her ear. Lauren nodded her head.

"Good, now let's ride"


End file.
